---
title: 7z (7-Zip) — Create and extract 7-Zip archives
date: 2026-10-20
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: A high-ratio archiver that handles 7z, zip, tar and many other formats.
tags: program, File and disk management, 7z
---

A high-ratio archiver that handles 7z, zip, tar and many other formats.

## Basic Information

| Command Name | 7z (7-Zip) |
| --- | --- |
| One-line Introduction | A high-ratio archiver that handles 7z, zip, tar and many other formats. |
| Provided by | 7-Zip / p7zip (package install) |
| Official Documentation | https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/7z.1.html |
| Supported Operating Systems | Linux, Windows, macOS |
| Installation Status | Requires the p7zip-full or 7zip package |
| Category | Linux file and disk management (tags: compression, 7z, archive, zip) |

## What is this command?

7z reads and writes its own 7z format along with zip, tar, gzip and others. Its LZMA-family compression gives a high ratio.

It supports passwords and split archives; a adds files and x extracts them. The format is detected from the file extension.

## What problems does it solve?

- You need maximum compression for large data
- You want one tool for zip and 7z
- You are creating an encrypted archive
- You only want to list archive contents
## Key features

### Create an archive

The a command takes the archive name and the files.

- **When to use**: You are bundling several files
- **What you get**: A 7z archive
- **Limitations**: Higher compression levels use more CPU.
### Extract

The x command extracts into the current directory.

- **When to use**: You need to use a distributed archive
- **What you get**: The original directory structure
- **Limitations**: It may prompt before overwriting.
### List and test

l lists entries and t tests integrity.

- **When to use**: You want to inspect before extracting
- **What you get**: A file list and a corruption verdict
- **Limitations**: Encrypted archives require a password.
## Installation and usage

### Check whether it is installed

```
7z i | head -n 5
```

sudo apt install p7zip-full   # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install p7zip   # Fedora

## Real-world examples

### Create an archive

Bundle a directory at maximum compression.

```
7z a -mx=9 backup.7z /home/user/data
```

### Extract

Extract into a chosen directory.

```
7z x backup.7z -o/restore
```

### List contents

List entries without extracting.

```
7z l backup.7z
```

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/linux/filesystem/7z.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.